Excellent point guard play is a must in the Olympics, and Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Jason Kidd is an embarrassment of riches there (even though Kidd is a shadow of his former self at this point). You've got superstars in Kobe, Lebron, Wade, and Carmelo, plus quality young big men like Howard, Bosh, Boozer, and Prince. You could use more pure shooters, though...don't know if Redd is quite enough in that regard. Thoughts?

U.S. men's team announced, with high hopes of regaining gold

Associated Press

Updated: June 23, 2008, 11:46 AM ET

CHICAGO -- MVP Kobe Bryant will be heading to his first Olympics, and he'll have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade with him.

They will lead a U.S. Olympic basketball team that was announced Monday -- one that hopes to capture the gold medal in Beijing in August after a third-place showing in Athens four years ago. They'll have plenty of help.

Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd were among the 12 players placed on the squad. They were joined by Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Michael Redd and Deron Williams.

The team was selected without a tryout. It will have a minicamp this week in Las Vegas and reconvene there July 20-25 to train and play an exhibition against Canada before heading overseas.

The Americans open Olympic play against China on Aug. 10.

Although the Americans captured the gold at the Sydney Games in 2000, they no longer dominate international play as they once did. The talent gap has narrowed and many top NBA players have chosen to not play for the national team in recent years.

Now, the U.S. will field a team that appears loaded. Then again, the Americans went 5-3 in Athens and lost for the first time since NBA players started competing in 1992, even though they had James, Anthony, Wade and Tim Duncan. That group got routed by Puerto Rico before losing to Lithuania and Argentina, but this one is confident it will take the gold.

Bryant just won his first MVP and led the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals. James averaged 30.0 points -- just enough to beat Bryant for the scoring title.

Those two, along with Anthony, Kidd and Dwight Howard, started for a team that went unbeaten in the Olympic qualifying tournament last year.

Phoenix forward Amare Stoudemire withdrew from Olympic consideration, apparently concerned about pushing his body too hard after knee surgery in 2005 and 2006. So did Detroit's Chauncey Billups, who would have had a tough time making the team, given the depth in the backcourt.

Wade cemented his spot after U.S. Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo watched him work out in Chicago recently. Wade has had chronic soreness in his left knee since undergoing surgery in 2007, and his season ended in March.

Wade started working out in Chicago in May, and James and Paul joined him to help sharpen his game. Colangelo paid a visit and left convinced the 6-foot-4 guard was healthy.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

ghettoscott

06-23-2008, 12:34 PM

It amazes me how many players turn down the offer to play on a world stage and try to get a gold for their Country. Respect to these players.
:Clap

Shawn

06-23-2008, 01:55 PM

If these superstars could just learn to play together they would be unstoppable.

papillon

06-24-2008, 12:03 AM

Silver or Bronze in store for this team as well. The wider lane reduces the effectiveness of the bigs and while we may have the best athletes in the world, they can't play as a team (typically). Maybe it will be different this year, but, I doubt it, they will place or show again simply because they're better athletes than the rest of the world. One of the Euro teams will win the Gold.

I liked it better when our Olympic team consisted of college players only. It was something that every college player wanted to participate in and took great pride in doing so.

Pappy

BIG FAN

06-24-2008, 01:06 AM

Silver or Bronze in store for this team as well. The wider lane reduces the effectiveness of the bigs and while we may have the best athletes in the world, they can't play as a team (typically). Maybe it will be different this year, but, I doubt it, they will place or show again simply because they're better athletes than the rest of the world. One of the Euro teams will win the Gold.

I liked it better when our Olympic team consisted of college players only. It was something that every college player wanted to participate in and took great pride in doing so.

Pappy

Got to agree with you Pappy, the debacle of our last Olympic "team" is still the main reason I could give a care less about our pro players going back to embarrass our nation.
Before the last Olympics I thought no other nation on this planet could beat an American team for the gold, unless of course they got a few extra seconds and chances to score from the judges.

stlrz d

06-24-2008, 06:59 AM

Silver or Bronze in store for this team as well. The wider lane reduces the effectiveness of the bigs and while we may have the best athletes in the world, they can't play as a team (typically). Maybe it will be different this year, but, I doubt it, they will place or show again simply because they're better athletes than the rest of the world. One of the Euro teams will win the Gold.

I liked it better when our Olympic team consisted of college players only. It was something that every college player wanted to participate in and took great pride in doing so.

Pappy

There's really only one big man (Howard) on the roster. They went for scorers and defenders with this line up. I'm seeing gold.

I liked it when the college players went too, but when other countries started sending their pros it was only fair that we did the same.

frankthetank1

06-24-2008, 05:48 PM

It amazes me how many players turn down the offer to play on a world stage and try to get a gold for their Country. Respect to these players.
:Clap

with all fairness it is in the offseason of the nba and if your a player on a playoff team then you dont get much of an offseason i know what your sayin though, a younger player should never turn it down. i miss the days before pro's played in the olympics

AngryAsian

06-25-2008, 08:01 AM

Silver or Bronze in store for this team as well. The wider lane reduces the effectiveness of the bigs and while we may have the best athletes in the world, they can't play as a team (typically). Maybe it will be different this year, but, I doubt it, they will place or show again simply because they're better athletes than the rest of the world. One of the Euro teams will win the Gold.

I liked it better when our Olympic team consisted of college players only. It was something that every college player wanted to participate in and took great pride in doing so.

Pappy

There's really only one big man (Howard) on the roster. They went for scorers and defenders with this line up. I'm seeing gold.

I liked it when the college players went too, but when other countries started sending their pros it was only fair that we did the same.

Completely agree! I think that international game has been more about team defense and passing as opposed to low post dominance in the paint. Howard will be great but I think that having players versatile enough to play both the 5 as well as the 4 spot is just smart on the selections committee's part. Let's hope that this unit can learn to play cohesive basketball.